Languages of India: Complete Guide to National, Official & Classical Languages

22 Scheduled Languages, 1,600+ Mother Tongues, One Incredible Linguistic Heritage

India is home to one of the most linguistically diverse populations on Earth — but also one of the most misunderstood, especially when it comes to questions like whether India has a "national language." This guide gives you the real numbers, straight from the Constitution and the Census of India, and links to deep-dive guides on every major topic: official languages, the 22 scheduled languages, classical languages, and the ongoing debate over the world's oldest language.

Languages in India at a Glance

Total languages in India121 (Census), ~19,500 mother tongues and dialects
Scheduled languages (8th Schedule)22
National languageNone officially declared
Official languages of the UnionHindi and English
Classical languages11
Most spoken languageHindi
Oldest continuously spoken languageTamil

Complete List of 121 Languages of India (Census of India 2011)


Source: Census of India 2011, Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner — "Paper 1 of 2018, Language: India, States and Union Territories (Table C-16)." Languages marked with * are the 22 Scheduled Languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The remaining 99 are Non-Scheduled Languages.


#Language #Language
1Assamese*61Koch
2Bengali*62Koda/Kora
3Bodo*63Kolami
4Dogri*64Kom
5Gujarati*65Konda
6Hindi*66Konyak
7Kannada*67Korku
8Kashmiri*68Korwa
9Konkani*69Koya
10Maithili*70Kui
11Malayalam*71Kuki
12Manipuri*72Kurukh/Oraon
13Marathi*73Ladakhi
14Nepali*74Lahauli
15Odia*75Lahnda
16Punjabi*76Lakher
17Sanskrit*77Lalung
18Santali*78Lepcha
19Sindhi*79Liangmei
20Tamil*80Limbu
21Telugu*81Lotha
22Urdu*82Lushai/Mizo
23Adi83Malto
24Afghani/Kabuli/Pashto84Mao
25Anal85Maram
26Angami86Maring
27Ao87Miri/Mishing
28Arabic/Arbi88Mishmi
29Balti89Mogh
30Bhili/Bhilodi90Monpa
31Bhotia91Munda
32Bhumij92Mundari
33Bishnupuriya93Nicobarese
34Chakhesang94Nissi/Dafla
35Chakru/Chokri95Nocte
36Chang96Paite
37Coorgi/Kodagu97Parji
38Deori98Pawi
39Dimasa99Phom
40English100Pochury
41Gadaba101Rabha
42Gangte102Rai
43Garo103Rengma
44Gondi104Sangtam
45Halabi105Savara
46Halam106Sema
47Hmar107Sherpa
48Ho108Shina
49Jatapu109Tamang
50Juang110Tangkhul
51Kabui111Tangsa
52Karbi/Mikir112Thado
53Khandeshi113Tibetan
54Kharia114Tripuri
55Khasi115Tulu
56Khezha116Vaiphei
57Khiemnungan117Wancho
58Khond/Kondh118Yimchungre
59Kinnauri119Zeliang
60Kisan120Zemi
  121Zou

*Denotes one of the 22 Scheduled Languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Beyond these 121 named languages, there is a residual "Total of Other Languages" category (1,875,542 speakers, 0.15% of India's population) covering mother tongues that individually returned fewer than 10,000 speakers at the all-India level.

Explore the Topics

How Many Languages Are Spoken in India?

A full breakdown of the 121 Census-recognized languages, the difference between mother tongues and languages, and how India's four major language families break down by population.

Is Hindi the National Language of India? The Truth Explained

India has no constitutionally declared national language. Here's what Article 343 actually says, and why the myth persists.

Official Language of India: Hindi, English & the States

How Hindi and English function as the Union's official languages, and how each state chooses its own official language for local administration.

22 Scheduled Languages of India: Full List

The complete Eighth Schedule list, its history of amendments since 1950, and what scheduled status actually provides.

Classical Languages of India: List, Criteria & History

All 11 officially recognized classical languages, the four criteria used to grant this status, and why it matters beyond symbolism.

Oldest Language in the World: Where Does India Rank?

Sumerian, Tamil, and Sanskrit each have a claim to "oldest" — depending on whether you're measuring written records or continuous living use.

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About BharatBhasha.org

BharatBhasha.org was created out of a simple fascination: India is home to one of the most linguistically diverse populations on the planet, yet reliable, easy-to-understand information about its languages is surprisingly hard to find in one place. Between outdated blog posts, conflicting statistics, and widespread myths — like the common misconception that Hindi is India's "national language" — we saw a need for a dedicated resource that gets the facts right and explains them clearly.

Our goal is straightforward: to be the most accurate, accessible, and well-organized source of information on the languages of India. This includes the official languages recognized under the Constitution, the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule, the 11 classical languages with their rich literary histories, and the broader linguistic diversity that spans thousands of mother tongues and dialects across the country.

Every article on this site is researched using publicly available and authoritative sources, including the Census of India, the Constitution of India, and publications from the Ministry of Culture. We aim to present information in a way that is easy to read — using clear explanations, quick-reference tables, and answers to the questions people actually search for — while staying grounded in factual, verifiable data.

BharatBhasha.org is an independent educational project. We are not affiliated with, funded by, or representing any government body, political organization, or institution. Our only objective is to help students, researchers, writers, and the simply curious better understand India's incredible linguistic landscape.

India's languages carry centuries of history, culture, and identity. We hope this site helps you explore that richness with clarity and confidence — one language, one fact, at a time.

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